


Wanted Man

by 221bshrlocked



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman (Movies - Nolan), Batman - All Media Types, Batman - Fandom, Batman Begins, DC - Fandom, DC Comics, DCU, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, The Dark Knight Trilogy - Fandom
Genre: DC Comics References, F/M, Sercretary AU, architect au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:07:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23305120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/221bshrlocked/pseuds/221bshrlocked
Summary: You arrive at Gotham City thinking you’re meeting the COO of Wayne Enterprises on behalf of your advisor, only to find out that you’re being hired as the official architect of a project that’s part of the company expansion. When Bruce Wayne welcomes you onboard himself, you can’t help but feel something strange towards the eccentric billionaire. You realize too late that those strange feelings are turning into something more, something you know would never be reciprocated. At least you think they’d never be mutual.
Relationships: Batman/Reader, BatmanxReader - Relationship, Bruce Wayne/Reader, Bruce WaynexReader
Comments: 13
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you want, give me some love on tumblr at 221bshrlocked please. Or here. I'll take any validation to be honest.

They promised clear skies last night. But you should have known better, this city never saw the sunlight. It didn’t matter either way, you’d worked under worse conditions for years and from what you’ve heard, it had gotten better over the last few months. You kept on looking at the skyscraper ahead of you, wondering why your advisor requested for you to meet with the COO of Wayne Enterprises. It wasn’t a request per se, more of a command if you were honest with yourself. But you weren’t one to negotiate with her, especially when you could tell how little space she left for a reply from you. 

“Black coffee for Y/N.” You heard the barista yell out from behind you, excusing yourself as you made your way through the crowd impatiently waiting for their drinks. Once you grabbed the drink, you quickly headed out of the coffee shop, looking at your watch to see if you were still on time. So busy juggling your notebook, the phone and the coffee, you didn’t see the gentleman exiting his car right in front of you. There was no time to react, dread washing over you as you realized how much the fall would hurt and that yes, there was now coffee all over your white shirt. 

“Ah crap really? Of all the days…” You dabbed at the stain on your shirt in vain as you stood up, picking up your phone and looking for your notebook when you saw that the gentleman had already picked it up for you.

“I believe this is yours.” The timbre voice snapped you out of your pain and you looked up in time to see who it was you had also just spilled your drink on. 

And it was at that precise moment that your lungs collapsed in fear. You stared at him for a few seconds before you realized the smile aimed at you was not meant to be friendly but- actually, you couldn’t quite understand what kind of smile it was but you didn’t want to stick around to find out.

“I am so sorry sir, I usually watch where I’m walking but I didn’t see you at all I swear. Shit that probably costs more than my apartment and I just spilled my coffee all over it. I could pay for the dry-cleaning sir…sorry no not that you can’t afford to pay for it I just meant that I could-”

“Please, don’t worry about it.” He cut you off and you shivered under his direct gaze, one that shamelessly took in your form before returning to your eyes and maintaining eye contact until you couldn’t help but look away. “Normally, I would offer to buy you another one but I believe neither of us have the time.” He could tell how nervous you were, choosing to look away from your heaving chest as he buttoned his suit and shut the door of his car. You were about to say something when you saw his driver walk out and stand behind him.

“Would you like to change before the-” 

“That’s alright Alfred, it’s not like anyone will report me.” He turned to his driver and nodded, letting him know he didn’t need his services at the moment. Looking at his watch, he frowned and adjusted his clothes one more time before walking away.

“You should be more careful.” You blinked at him confusingly, unable to look away as he took his phone out and dialed someone as he walked the opposite way. 

Was there even a point to go to the meeting now? 

You tried to find any excuse to tell your advisor but you were a horrible liar, and she knew that more than anyone. 

“What have I done?” You whispered to yourself as you made your way to the highrise building you were sure you’d be kicked out of as soon as you entered. You kept on looking around to see if he was anywhere nearby but when you saw that his car, and the driver, remained in the same spot, you decided it was better to go and end the meeting quickly rather than avoiding it all together.

“Hi, I have a meeting with Dr. Fox in fifteen minutes. I was sent on behalf of Dr. Karen Fairbanks.” You told the security guard at the front desk, sighing in relief when he asked you to follow another guard to the elevator. So he didn’t ask for the meeting to be canceled yet? That must be a good sign. 

You waited in the elevator as the guard swiped his access card and pressed on the 39th floor button. The elevator ride didn’t give you nearly enough time to try and figure out what you would say should the meeting not go your way. A loud ding announced your arrival and as soon as you stepped out of the elevator, another guard greeted you and led you to the only door visible on the floor. You walked behind him and sighed at how loud the silence was, thanking him when he opened the door for you and asked you to go inside.

“Hi, I’m here for-”

“Good morning, you must be Y/N Y/L/N. He is ready for you. You can go ahead.” The woman never stood from her chair, smiling at you as she waited until you moved towards the second door. You reluctantly turned the handle of the door and pushed through, quietly shutting it behind you before turning around and making your way to the desk.

“Good morning Dr. Fox, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” You were proud of how steady your voice was, reaching out to shake his hand only to be met with two warm ones on top of yours. 

“Please, call me Lucius. There are no formalities among colleagues.” He softly tapped on your hand before walking around the desk to sit down, motioning for you to take a seat opposite him.

“C-colleagues? I am sorry sir I believe you are mistaken.” You responded, not sure what he was speaking of as you flipped your notebook to explain to him what it was you were doing here. “Surely Karen told you what it was we are looking for?” Fox raised an eyebrow when you shook your head, sitting back and taking a few moments to collect his thoughts. 

“Well, in that case, let me fill you in. Wayne Enterprises is looking to…expand. Not just metaphorically but literally. I’ve spent months attempting to convince Mr. Wayne of this project and I had spoken to Karen a while back to let her know I needed her top student for this large-scale development should he agree. And one he agreed, I asked her to send whoever she chose over so I could finalize everything and get started. She must’ve mentioned at least something with relation to this?” 

“I- wow umm sorry, excuse me sir this is all a bit to take in. She hadn’t said anything apart from an hour meeting with yourself. I was meant to ask you a few questions about the underground structure of Wayne Enterprises and ask if you would be willing to assist in a similar one in New York. She mentioned nothing of what you had just told me.” Fox said nothing, smiling at you before asking if you needed anything to drink.

“No thank you sir, I have already spilled coffee on my shirt earlier and I’d rather not make a fool out of myself again.” You tried to return the smile but didn’t have the energy to do so.

“Would you be surprised if I told you I thought that was a design on the shirt?” He tried to put you at ease but it did little to your nervous spirit. 

“You are too kind sir.”

“Lucius. Or at least I hope that is how you’ll address me soon.” His tone became more serious and you thought he might be a little impatient. Before you could respond, the door to the office was opening, in walking the man you wished you wouldn’t be able to see ever again.

“Mr. Fox, I do apologize for my tardiness, I ran into some-” The words died in his throat as soon as he took one look at you and it took everything in his power to not smirk at your obvious distress. “Something urgent came up and I needed to take care of it. Hi, Bruce Wayne. Pleasure to meet you.” Bruce took three strides before he stood right in front of you, reaching out his hand to shake yours. When you couldn’t move, he took a deep breath and sat opposite you, crossing his legs before turning his attention to Fox.

“I must apologize Mr. Wayne, but I believe my old friend did not fill in our architect.”

“Really? How so?” Bruce rested his cheek on his hand and waited for you to respond. When you didn’t, he asked Fox to tell him what you discussed so far. You suddenly felt light-headed, refusing to acknowledge the situation you were currently in until you heard your name a few times.

“Sorry, yes?”

“Well, I was just asking for a reason behind your apprehension? Is it a salary problem or relocating?”

“R-relocating?” You looked at Bruce then Fox, then back to Bruce again.

“It is my understanding that Mr. Fox informed you of the importance of this project, and I do not make light of such matters, especially ones in need of such a large investment. You’d have to relocate to Gotham. Most of the work following your sketches, should they be approved, will require you to be on site at all times and I cannot have you wasting time going to and from New York.” Bruce spoke with such eloquence and authority you couldn’t not shift in your seat.

And although you were only looking at him for a few seconds, he was studying every one of your movements, his chest slowly filling with pride when he noticed the effect he had on you.

“Sir, I- with all due respect, I do not think I am the person you want on such a project. I only just received my Masters and I assure you there are many more capable architects out there than myself, whether in my graduating class or ones already established. You will have no trouble finding the perfect fit for you.” You silently cursed at yourself for that last sentence but you paid it no mind. “And even if I were to take you up on your offer, I have to say that I do not have nearly enough to relocate on such a short notice.”

“As far as I can tell, your objections all have solutions.” Fox cut you off, digging through one of his drawers before taking out a folder and handing it to Bruce. “I would not have agreed to hire you without an interview had I not seen your portfolio Ms. Y/L/N. It is quite exceptional if I may say so myself. Most architects I’ve worked with are more theoretical than practical, choosing to rely on every penny going into the building without truly caring for its function or what it communicates once it is erected. But your designs are more practical and reliably distributed than anything. As for the second matter, I am sure Mr. Wayne will have no problem convincing you to come on board. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do need to ask my secretary for something.” And with that, he stood up and walked out of his office, leaving you a flustered mess in front of the one man you dreaded talking with.

You’d spent a few minutes in silence before daring to look up, only to see that Bruce was already gazing at you.

“Do I have the face of a monster Ms. Y/L/N?” Of all the questions you thought you’d be asked today, that was the last one you expected.

“N-no sir not at all.”

“Then there must be some other reason behind your refusal to look at me as we speak.”

“S-sorry Mr. Wayne I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just that-”

“Nevermind. I do believe I must convince you to take on this project because I will not hear the end of it from Mr. Fox if I don’t.” You could tell he sounded more annoyed and you hated to be on the receiving end of that tone.

“And why is that?”

“Well, for starters, I’ve never seen him speak this passionately about someone else’s work so you must be exceptional at what you do. I am sure we could come to an arrangement on such a short notice. How does one fifty sound?” Bruce asked neutrally and you took a deep breath before deciding to look at him again. 

You’d thought he was a handsome man on the news, but now that you were this close to him, he was somehow much more attractive. The pictures didn’t do him any justice. He was much more broad-shouldered, his hair softer than it looked on screen. And my god, were all billionaires this fit? His suit wasn’t too tight on him but it was constricting enough for you to see how potentially muscular he was. But nothing, absolutely nothing, could compare to his eyes. You weren’t sure if they were brown or just an incredibly dark hazel color. Either way, they managed to look straight through you and you barely managed to maintain eye contact with him this time around.

“One fifty sir?” You asked, not sure what he meant by that number.

“I can make it two hundred if you want me to. I am sure you’ll deliver.” He crossed his arms, and you couldn’t help but shift your gaze to the way the dark material of his suit clung around his biceps.

“You misunderstand me, what do you mean by one fifty?” The question must have surprised him because his eyebrows furrowed for a second before relaxing again.

“One fifty an hour of course.” Bruce remained unfazed by your surprised reaction, gauging your reaction carefully. 

“Y-you are too kind Mr. Wayne but-”

“I am not a cruel man Ms. Y/L/N.”

“That wasn’t what I mean sir. I only wanted to say that for a fresh graduate who hadn’t worked on previous projects, you might regret that number. My work has only been on paper.”

“You would be horrible in business. I’ve never met anyone who asked for less in exchange for his time and efforts.” He chuckled and if it weren’t for the fact that he may have just given you a backhanded compliment, you would have returned the gesture.

“I am only attempting to be honest. One fifty is more than enough Mr. Wayne.”

“So you will take the job?” Bruce hadn’t meant to sound so eager but when he knew you hadn’t noticed his excitement, not with the way you were still staring almost timidly at him.

“I would be dumb not to. Student loans aren’t a joke.” You rang your fingers and Bruce immediately shifted his attention to the nervous tick, incapable of understanding why you were so rigid, perhaps even fearful, around him.

“Ah yes, I am sure Columbia University was not a walk in the park.” Bruce said as he stood up, buttoning his suit and placing your portfolio on the desk before turning around towards you.

“I take it that is a yes?” He waited for your response patiently, smirking at you when you nodded and wavered through an answer. 

“Yes sir, it would be my pleasure to be associated with Wayne Enterprises,” you stood up and stretched out your hand for him to shake, amazed that he never brought up the coffee thing this far. He still hadn’t changed and you wondered why a man of his standing would purposely walk around all day long in that state, knowing fully well paparazzi were everywhere. 

He took your hand and you felt your heart skip a beat at how warm and firm it was. Bruce watched your body language, amazed at how quickly you responded when it was only a small touch. You watched as he placed his hands and his pockets and said nothing more, raising an eyebrow when you didn’t budge. 

Thankfully, Fox entered the office again and approached you, smiling before welcoming you on board and telling you that you’ll receive an email from him shortly. You couldn’t get out of there fast enough, bidding the secretary a good morning before almost breaking the ‘close doors’ button.

“Believe me the pleasure was all mine.” Bruce whispered to himself as he watched you go, turning to Fox and shaking his head at him. “I don’t want to hear it.” He said, sitting down and crossing his legs again before picking up your portfolio. 

“A bright young lady, one of the top in her class. Fairbanks couldn’t wait five minutes before telling me about her work. I think you will not be disappointed by her Mr. Wayne.” Fox said as he looked out the window of the high rise.

“You don’t have to convince me Mr. Fox, I can see for myself.” Bruce gestured at the portfolio but Fox couldn’t help but warn him. “I assure you Mr. Wayne, I know you have seen her work yourself. But I will keep reminding you that she is a great asset for the team, one I would hate to let go should she run into any…executive problems.” Fox was no longer smiling, his serious expression enough of a warning sign to Bruce.

Bruce turned his attention to Fox, knowing fully well what he was implying. He knew his friend meant well but for some odd reason, he felt a bit possessive over you already.

“She’s too young for me Mr. Fox, and I can assure you, she will not have to deal with executive problems.” Bruce stood up and took the portfolio with him, knowing fully well Mr. Fox can see the files in his hands. 

“Good day Mr. Wayne.” 

“And to you Mr. Fox.” Bruce waved back as he exited the office and headed to his car. He’d already put your name in his system, his paranoia getting the best of him yet again. It would be a shame if you weren’t who you said you were. By the time he’d finished all his meetings and arrived at the penthouse, Alfred had already prepared every record on you and placed it on his bed.

“Impressive girl Master Wayne. I didn’t realize we’ve started checking individuals who spill their drinks on you.” Alfred bellowed sarcastically as he set down dinner on the nightstand. 

“Very funny Alfred.” Bruce shook his head at the butler before flipping through the pages. 

“There is nothing out of the ordinary in those files, and yet you’ve read every word.”

“She’s my new architect,” Bruce responded as he read up on your undergraduate work.

“Your architect?” Alfred couldn’t help but smile when Bruce looked up and threw imaginary daggers at him. “ _The_ new architect, happy now.” And he laughed even more when his master responded with irritation. 

“Oh you misunderstand my curiosity Master Wayne, I only meant to remark on the job and not your choice of adjectives.” Alfred left before he could get a response but he knew Bruce was staring at him as he walked away.

“She’s too young for me!” Bruce yelled out to the empty hallway, knowing fully well he wouldn’t hear the end of it. He quickly finished his meal before accessing the numerous dummy corporations he had scattered around for pursuits he didn’t want to be associated with. By the end of the night, he’d gotten in touch with Ascendium Education Group and sent them a few invoices, telling them to contact him, through the corporations of course, when they received the checks. 

Bruce went to sleep that night more satisfied than he’s ever been in years. But this satisfaction was short-lived when he realized that yes, you were too young for him. More importantly, you didn’t deserve being associated with someone like him, not that you weren’t already when news went out that he was looking to expand. 

Following the meeting, you took the ferry back to New York, and spent the entire commute talking with your advisor. She told you that you’d understand her deception once you spoke to Fox, letting you know that she shouldn’t be seen as favoring anyone. You’d asked her for an honest answer and she told you that while she did not consider this as partiality towards you, other students and professors in the department might misunderstand. And when you finally asked her the dreaded question regarding doctorate applications, she told you that you probably wouldn’t need to worry about that for a very long time. Being associated with Wayne Enterprises would open many doors for you and even if there weren’t job offers after the completion of this project, the salary would be more than enough to cover you until you did find a job or decided to go back to school. You’d thanked her for her time and recommendation, telling her that you did in fact take the job and planned to move in the next few weeks. 

When you got back to your apartment, your excitement got the best of you and you started packing your things, telling your rather inattentive roommates that you would be moving out soon. Before you went to sleep, you checked your emails and saw that Dr. Fox had already sent you an email, your eyes widening in horror when you saw that Mr. Wayne was cc’d. He had an email? Wasn’t there someone that did this stuff for him?

You quickly researched the prices of moving companies, grimacing at how expensive most of them were. But it was going to be alright soon. You could afford to spend whatever you had left now that you knew how much you’d be getting. The man seriously thought you would ask for more? These goddamn billionaires and their shameless lack of understanding. 

You went to sleep with immense relief. You hadn’t felt this happy and safe in such a long time and it was strange that this feeling was caused by a man who probably forgot your name as soon as the meeting ended. 


	2. Chapter 2

You’d hoped to sleep in the next day, knowing that in the months to come, perhaps a few years depending on the project, that it would be early mornings. Looking at the alarm, you saw that it was almost noon and you didn’t realize what woke you up until you heard your phone buzzing beneath the pillow. You grudgingly took it out and looked at the caller ID, swearing when it read ‘Restricted.’ Who the fuck was calling you right now? 

“Hello?” You lazily asked, rubbing your eyes and attempting to focus so you could get back to sleep. When no one responded, you sighed and spoke again. “Hello? Who is this?” When you still didn’t get a response, you whispered “Jesus Christ” under your breath and were about to hang up when someone finally answered. 

“Good morning Ms. Y/L/N, my apologies for calling. I assumed you’d be awake by now.” As soon as you registered who’s voice that was, you quickly sat up and stood at the foot of your bed. How the hell did he get your number?

“M-Mr. Wayne?”

“The one and only. I forgot to ask yesterday but when shall I expect you to come in?” 

Your brain must have been in REM sleep because you couldn’t fish for an answer. Or perhaps it was your tongue that couldn’t move? You didn’t care about that because the only thing going through your mind was how you managed to embarrass yourself numerous times, in the span of twenty four hours, in front of your future boss

“Perhaps I should call at a later time.” Bruce took a deep breath and you hoped it wasn’t out of boredom.

“No no I’m sorry sir, I just didn’t expect you to call. I was hoping to move in the next few weeks but I’m still looking for a replacement for my roommates. I’d rather not leave them without someone taking care of my portion of the rent. And I haven’t started looking for apartments yet. I did already find a moving company so-”

“Nonsense, I need you here by tomorrow. Don’t worry about the rent or finding an apartment, I’m sure Alfred can handle that in the next hour or two. You just pack your things and let me know when you’re ready and I’ll send someone to move everything with you.” You hated how relaxed he sounded, almost as if this was a daily activity for him: helping new employees with trivial things.

“Mr. Wayne, I am sure you have more important things to take care of. If you need me to begin by tomorrow, I can just ferry back and forth until I find another student to-”

“Ms. Y/L/N, as far as I know, commuting back and forth will only waste time. And I know my city very well, it isn’t safe for someone like you. I need you to start working soon and it is my job to make sure you are comfortable and ready to go. Pack your things and I will send someone to move everything.” You shivered at the calm yet commanding, amazed at how un-billionaire like he was. Maybe the articles got it wrong after all.

You managed to breathe out a “thank you sir” before waiting for him to continue. It didn’t seem like he left any room for negotiation, and that was definitely not surprising to you.

“Once you’ve set everything up, I’ll need you to come by the penthouse to sign some papers.” Bruce was flipping through the newspapers, not thinking of his next works until your question rang in his ears. 

“The penthouse?”

“Yes Ms. Y/L/N, this may be news to you but I don’t spend every waking moment at Wayne Enterprises. Mr. Fox and Alfred will be here as well so rest assured this is not- I am not inviting you to-,” Bruce was at a loss for words, failing to understand why he would possibly bring up something like that. He just didn’t want you to misunderstand his intentions. Granted it wasn’t like he didn’t spend the better part of his night thinking about you but this wasn’t where he wanted the conversation to go. He looked at the rearview mirror and saw Alfred holding back a smile, and he knew he wasn’t going to hear the end of it once he finished the phone call.

“Oh I completely understand Mr. Wayne, I would never presume a-anything like that.” You quickly responded, feeling embarrassed for both him and yourself.

“Right, of course. Hmm, I’ll see you in a few hours Y/N.” He was frowning at himself, choosing to ignore your response for now because if he wasn’t thinking of potential rejection before, he definitely was now.

“Have a good day sir.” You whispered back and waited for him to end the call before falling back on your bed.

“What in the hell?” You asked the empty room and looked around to see what you were going to start packing first. You didn’t have any furniture apart from the chair and the desk, which you picked up from some street when you moved in. You’d definitely have enough money to buy new ones so you decided to ignore all the furniture. A couple of hours later, you’d had all your tools in one corner of the room, your clothes in luggage bags in another, and all your books in more boxes than your other things combined. When you finally walked out of your room to tell your roommates that you’d be leaving sooner, they both nodded and told you they already knew.

“What do you mean?” You asked Sara as she cooked lunch for everyone while Melissa was finishing up one of her projects. 

“Our landlord called and told us that someone paid rent for the next six months.” Sara said as if it was the most normal response to give. 

“Like my part of the rent?”

“No silly, the full rent. Looks like whoever you’re working for is giving you lots of benefits. Want to hook me up with a job too?” They both laughed and you stood in the middle of the living room absolutely stunned. What was he playing at? 

“We’ll find someone for your room by then.” When Melissa looked up and saw the expression on your face, she left her things and walked up to you. “Listen, we know we weren’t really the friendliest people to have around but we don’t know where you’re going. Just leave an address and your email so we could make sure you aren’t getting kidnapped or something.” You weren’t sure what surprised you more, the fact that Wayne paid the full rent for half a year or how genuine Melissa sounded. 

“Uhh, yeah sure. I’ll just be over a state so don’t worry about me. Not getting kidnapped.” You smiled at them before taking out your phone to let Bruce know that you finished packing. You weren’t sure if you could just call him or not but you decided to take the chance and bother him considering how little he told you about what he’s doing. It rang a few times and before you decided to hang up, you heard him pick up the phone.

“Bruce Wayne,” he said and you couldn’t help but notice how out of breath he was.

“H-hi, Mr. Wa-….sir, I just wanted to let you know I’ve finished packing. I wasn’t sure if I was meant to call this number or not. I apologize for the inconvenience.” He took a few minutes to respond to you but when he did, you had to look away from your roommates. 

“Y/N, you sure work fast. I hope you have as much…vigor…towards the project as you do in your daily activities.” Bruce couldn’t have stopped himself even if he tried and he thanked the heavens Alfred wasn’t anywhere nearby. When you didn’t respond, he knew he made a mistake and decided to just end the call quickly before he made a fool out of himself. “Alfred will come by in an hour. See you tonight Y/N.” And with that, Bruce ended the call, leaving you more of a confused mess than before. He’d said your name three times today and you hated how much more it affected you each time he used it. 

“Do you guys mind helping me take this stuff downstairs once the moving guy comes?” 

“Yeah no problem.” They both replied and you took that as your queue to go back to your room and get ready. This truly was the strangest encounter you’ve had with anyone. But you didn’t want to dwell too much on it. You were just another employee. 

Bruce almost threw his phone at the wall when he hung up. He was never like this, not even in his previous relationships. Not even with Rachel…

But something about you made him more attentive and a little rattled. No, not rattled. Flustered perhaps. Since when did he feel flustered? He continued his set-ups, hoping to get his mind off of how utterly sexy your hoarse voice sounded in the morning or the way you continued to call him ‘sir.’ He was never into things like that but damn it he loved it when you kept tripping over your words and called him that. Alfred had given him hell following the morning call, telling Bruce that he wasn’t worried about you assuming anything taking place in the penthouse since he was doing that just fine for the both of you. Bruce debated on whether he should have his butler drop him off so he could walk the rest of the way but chose against it, refusing to respond when Alfred made his suggestions known even further. 

_“Perhaps I could clear one of the rooms in the west wing sir, for office space of course.” Alfred smiled at the rearview mirror, watching as his master rolled his eyes and refused to acknowledge what was happening._

_“No? Well we can always add space to the east wing as we’re rebuilding the manor Master Wayne, that way, you’d have more access to…her work. You could even put her in charge of the construction.” As soon as Alfred parked the car, Bruce sprinted out and shut the door behind him, ignoring the annoying man he’d known his entire life._

“I will be going now Master Wayne. In the meantime, do you need anything?” Alfred stood at the foot of the bed, waiting until Bruce finished his excessively unnecessary exercises before he left.

“No thank you Alfred. And please, don’t give her a tough time.” Bruce stood up and downed a bottle of water, raising an eyebrow at Alfred when he walked away. 

“Never sir, I only reserve my remarks for you.” Bruce could hear the smile etched on Alfred’s face and he chose to ignore it. For now. 

He took this opportunity to think of the other cases he needed to deal with. There’d been recent rumors of numerous poisonings in the narrows but no one really knew who or what was causing these murders. He could have convinced himself to let it go had there not been a few innocent lives taken along with the powerful mafia leaders and gangs. Unfortunately, none of this phased him anymore. Commissioner Gordon was almost as calm about this ordeal as Bruce was, but then he mentioned how whoever was in charge always left a bed of roses on top of the corpses in the crime scenes and that’s what caught their attention. It almost looked like a serial killer but he had a hunch that it was much worse. 

Bruce rubbed his temples, bothered by how deprived he was of some normalcy. Was he even capable of such a thing anymore? 

He was about to contact Mr. Fox to ask about the test results for the poison when his phone rang. 

“Good afternoon Mr. Wayne.”

“Mr. Fox, I was just about to call.”

“I understand this is the last thing you want to hear, but there may be a setback on this project.” Bruce headed to the southeast wing, carefully listening to everything Fox said as he played the notes on his piano. 

Across the pond, you were taking down your last boxes, apologizing to the man you saw with Wayne a day before. It was curious that he’d sent his own driver, an older gentleman who probably wouldn’t be able to help you move everything to the new place but you would worry about that later. You’d thanked your roommates and gave them your contact information, wishing them good luck on the rest of their college career before letting Alfred know you were ready.

When you sat in the passenger seat, Alfred looked at you curiously before letting you know you could sit in the back.

“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to sit here?” You smiled at him and sighed in relief when he told you he was only here to make sure you were comfortable. You almost slipped and told him that no one in their right mind wouldn’t be comfortable in a Cadillac Escalade but you decided to keep that little excitement to yourself. You were surprised by the luxurious car when it pulled up and told Alfred you couldn’t possibly ruin it with your junk, at which point he laughed and told you that Mr. Wayne could afford ruining it. 

He was mostly quiet the entire ride back to New Jersey, occasionally asking you about your career choices before answering some questions of your own on Wayne.

“All I can tell you is he is not what the papers make him out to be Ms. Y/L/N. I have known Master Wayne all my life, heard his cries echo through the hallways when he was born. He’s like a son to me believe it or not.” Alfred smiled at you before he exited the freeway.

“Does he ever ask you for advice?”

“If you are asking if he considers me more than a butler, you’ll be disappointed by my lack of a response.”

“I won’t talk to anyone about this you know,” you replied, afraid he thought you were asking these questions to sell them to some stupid journalist.

“I trust your judgement young miss. I didn’t respond out of suspicion but rather out of my lack of understanding of Master Wayne’s person. He remains an enigma to me.” Alfred turned to you, making sure you knew he didn’t mean any offense with his response.

“I see. Well, either way, I wish I had someone like you in my life. You are very easy to talk to, a better listener than people I’ve known my whole life actually.” You didn’t care how open you were being with the older man but something about the way he carried himself made you feel safe.

“Thank you miss. Now that you’re part of Wayne Enterprises, I am sure we’ll be seeing more of each other. You can talk to me anytime you wish.” You didn’t think twice about what he said and thanked him, and Alfred tried his hardest not to smile at his own remarks. You and Bruce were truly from the same dense batch.

You almost arrived at the apartment when Wayne called and told Alfred to come by the penthouse instead. 

“Apologies for the change in plans.” Alfred looked over and could tell you wanted to ask him something but quickly thought against it.

“That’s alright.” You smiled at him, continuing to look out the window as you drove through the streets of Gotham. This was going to be interesting.

When you did arrive at the luxury tower where his penthouse was, your heart almost dropped to the floor. The two-story apartment, probably around twenty five thousand square feet, was not only breathtaking from the outside, but it was also much bigger than entire houses you’ve studied and designed. And as soon as you stepped inside, you were surprised by how simple and modern it was. Whoever designed this deserved to be worshipped because you could see the entire city of Gotham from every corner of the place.

“Right this way Ms. Y/L/N.”

“Alfred, do you mind calling me by my first name please? I- it’s a little weird and I’m still just a graduate student not, not…” He understood what you meant and nodded at you, leading you towards the main room and leaving when Fox made an appearance.

“It’s very nice to see you again Y/N,” Fox shook your hand and motioned for you to sit down. You were about to ask where Bruce was when you saw him walking down the hallway. Nothing in the world could have prepared you for the sight of him.

He was wearing a long black robe that twisted behind him as he made his way towards you. Beneath the robe was a simple navy shirt and loose pajama pants, ones you avoided looking at for fear of embarrassing yourself again. You weren’t sure why it may have been the most erotic thing you’ve ever seen but his lack of footwear somehow made you clench your thighs together. You could hear his feet pad softly across the marble floor and snapped out of your haze when you saw Alfred coming behind him with tea.

“I trust you found a solution Mr. Fox? And good evening Ms/ Y/L/N.” He nodded towards you, gracing you with a quick, almost impatient smile before sitting down on the couch.

“S-sorry did I miss something?” You hoped you weren’t being a nuisance but it seemed that they were already running into issues.

“It seems that someone may or may not have leaked out plans for expansion and we’ve been getting unsolicited phone calls and emails in the past twenty four hours.” Fox thanked Alfred for the tea before taking a sip. 

“I swear I said nothing, not even to Fairbanks.” You instantly became defensive and you could tell it was a misplaced reaction when Bruce crossed his arms and stared at you. 

“No one is accusing you of anything, however, we will have to go about this in a different fashion.” Fox patted your back and motioned for you to sit down. 

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, we will not release our plans yet. Not for the project nor for who will be in charge of it. I am afraid you may receive offers from other companies and corporations, and as you know by now, we are protective of our employees.” Fox smiled at you before setting his tea down and flipping through a folder of paperwork before placing it on the table in front of you.

“This is more than what I bargained for.” You remarked, not out of annoyance more to point it out to everyone in the room.

“Reevaluating your decision?” Bruce couldn’t help but ask and Alfred gauged both his reaction adn your own, turning to Fox and staring at him before looking to the ground again.

“I never said that sir.” You whispered apologetically, taking a cup of tea and sipping on the hot liquid to take your mind of the circumstances you’d gotten yourself into.

“We just wanted to inform you before you signed any contracts.” Fox said to catch your attention and when you turned to him, you saw he had a pen ready for you to use on the numerous files next to your tea. “And what was the solution?” You wanted to be kept in the loop.

“For now, I think it will be in everyone’s interest if you are introduced as Mr. Wayne’s new secretary.” Fox said as he turned to Bruce who hadn’t heard that solution yet.

“Secretary?” Your tone came out more aggressive than you intended and you had to apologize for the outburst.

“Surely there must be something else we could say.”

“Nothing sounds believable, unless you wish to put a hold on the project, in which case Ms. Y/L/N will have moved in vain.” Fox shook his head before focusing on you again. “We will only introduce you as his secretary but you will be under no obligation to perform such tasks.”

“That’s what I’m for Y/N,” Alfred reassured you with his eyes and you were thankful for having him around, especially when a certain pair of eyes were looking through you.

“You will work from Mr. Wayne’s office at Wayne Enterprises which is only accessible by the people in this room, that way, you could start on the structure without fearing any interference. Should you need any consultation, you can always let me know and we could come here to work.” Fox assured you further with his plan which didn’t sound half bad as a matter of fact.

“You don’t have to make a decision now b-” Bruce wanted to make sure you understood that you weren’t being forced into anything but you surprised him with your response. 

“Okay.” You cut him off, nodding and grabbing the pen from the table while asking Mr. Fox where it was you needed to sign. As you finished the paperwork, Bruce was looking at Alfred, silently telling him that this may have been a big mistake. Alfred shook his head before smiling at Bruce to let him know that it would be fine. 

“This calls for a celebration. Alfred, get the 2011 Armand de Brignac,” Bruce stood up to shake your hands and you accepted it with trepidation, eyebrows furrowing when you noticed how rough his hands were. You hadn’t noticed it yesterday but that may have been because you were starstruck by the man. It was curious why someone like him, who probably never had to work a day in his life, had such rugged hands.

“Oh no thank you, I still have to take my stuff to the apartment.”

“You haven’t done that yet?” Bruce asked, his eyes shifting to the nervous tick with your fingers again and he decided to lay off a bit.

“You called while we were still on our way Master Wayne. Perhaps we could reserve that drink for a later time.” Alfred heavily suggested and you started between the men in the room feeling a little out of place. “Let me help with that then.” He said matter of factly before heading out to his room.

“That won’t be necessary sir I could move everything myself.”

“I’ll be down in five minutes.” He ignored your response and you could only look away from the older men in the room so you didn’t visibly roll your eyes at him. When he did come down again, you were sure the universe was after your death. Amazing what a simple navy flannel and dark jeans could do. He’d rolled up his sleeves as well and it took every ounce of control to not drool over his smooth arms, although he did look like he bruised one a bit.

“Thank you Mr. Fox, I will see you tomorrow morning.” Bruce shook his hands, his smile dropping when he saw the same expression on Fox’s face his own butler had not a few hours ago. He immediately let go of his hand and took the keys from Alfred, letting him know he’d be back within the hour. 

“Sir you really don’t have to,” you tried to reason with him again but he only opened the door of the car for you before going around to the driver seat.

“Since we’ll be seeing each other often, I think you can just call me Bruce.” He started the car and made his way through the estate towards the street, and you almost asked him how he knew where your apartment was but it was his butler that prepared it after all.

“I- I don’t think that would be professional of me sir,” you responded, avoiding his gaze and pretending to look at something on your phone. “I think we’re past professional, don’t you think?” That got your attention and when you faced him, you saw a dangerous glint in his eyes, one you were definitely reading into.

No, he wouldn’t. You were just an employee. 

“Fine, but only when we’re alone. I cannot be caught calling you by your first name in front of business partners and associates.”

“When we’re alone huh?” He asked, knowing fully well that your anxiety would spike but nothing brought him more joy than watching you fidget under his gaze. “That’s…that’s not what I meant.” You quickly responded and almost swore at him when he chuckled and told you he was just joking.

“Here we are.” He parked the car in a large garage and waited for you to get out before asking you what boxes he could start with. You were surprised with the area the apartment was in and you almost asked how much it could cost you but remembered the salary and knew it wouldn’t be an issue. You told him he could start with any box and chose to avoid paying attention to him when you saw the way his muscles flexed as he carried two boxes at a time. God damn how was he so fit? Why was he so fit? You focused on carrying as many boxes as you could but every once in a while, you’d catch a glimpse of the veins protruding on his arms as he exerted energy, almost tripping over the stairs when you saw his back as he bent down to place the boxes on the floor. Bruce pretended he didn’t see but he saw and turned quickly to hide the smile he couldn’t stop from taking over his features. 

An hour later, you’d placed all the boxes in the too-large apartment and thanked him profusely, apologizing that you had nothing to offer him to drink. 

“I honestly cannot thank you enough. For everything that you’ve done.”

“It was just a few boxes Y/N.”

“I meant about the rent as well Bruce.” You snarked back at him and had you not been busy with getting out a few books, you would have noticed the way his face flushed at the sound of his name. He almost asked you to say it again but somehow controlled himself, telling you it was nothing and that you had Alfred to thank. You chuckled when you noticed how uncomfortable he got because of you.

“Right, I’ll leave you to it then. Bedroom is at the end to the right and the bathroom is on the left. The room to the left is your office and uhhh, that should be it I think. I didn’t ask Alfred to get any furniture because I didn’t know what you preferred but there is a bed in there. Here’s the key to the apartment and I will see you bright and early tomorrow.” He handed you the key and stared at it for a few moments before heading towards the door. 

“Bruce,” you followed him quickly to ask for something and took a step back when he turned around instantly and looked at you like- like a…looks like Alfred was right, he was a hard man to read.

“Yes?” 

“I- who do I pay the rent to? Alfred didn’t tell me much about the place.”

“Well, you’re not paying for it actually. I, well I own the complex so you don’t have to.” You blinked at him in confusion before realizing you should probably have this conversation with a clear head. Bruce expected you to say something, anything, in return but when you remained silent, he nodded and headed out.

“Good night Y/N.”

“Night Bruce.” 

Bruce skidded down the stairs, not looking back at you once. He got in his car and sped off away from the apartment complex, swearing numerous times when he shifted and felt just how hard he was. A few minutes alone with you and he was acting like a teenage boy again. 

“Fuck,” he whispered as he drove through the streets, thanking whatever higher power existed when he saw the familiar symbol reflect on the nightsky. 

“About damn time.”


	3. Chapter 3

To his credit, Commissioner Gordon sounded more confused and surprised than him when he heard about the flowers. Bruce called Fox on his way to Gordon, not realizing that he was in for a story about a mad scientist who decided to genetically modify plants to hit the biggest players in Gotham. And when he told Gordon about it, he almost broke character and laughed at Gordon’s “poetic murder” comment.

“Do you think this is a serial killer?” Gordon asked, flipping through the different pages in his hand that he understood absolutely nothing of.

“No, this is deliberate. It’s his own way of showing justice. These roses, these plants…they mean something to him.” Gordon raised an eyebrow at Batman’s comment.

“Justice? This is murder. If anyone from the precinct catches you with that attitude, I won’t hear the end of it.” Gordon shook his head and folded the papers before placing them in his pocket. 

“He’s only attacked prominent and powerful men of the city.” Batman growled his explanation, not wanting to be misunderstood in any way by Gordon.

“Well, not all of them.” 

“How do you know?” The masked vigilante straightened up.

“Believe it or not, we were given a list of everyone who, sooner or later, will be attacked. I think there’ll be more but at least he’s nice enough to just keep us busy with these for now.” Gordon took out a piece of paper and handed it to him.

“The Dubelz Family, the Lucky Hand Triad, Escabedo Family, the Bertinelli Family and Br-” He hesitated for a moment, looking up at his friend before reading the last name on the list. “Bruce Wayne.”

“Yeah that threw me off too.” Gordon replied before taking back the small note.

“What did he do?” 

“I asked myself that same question. We don’t know yet really. Mr. Wayne has never dabbled in anything remotely illegal or off the books but we’ll keep looking.” Bruce found the irony in that statement quite hilarious but he held back. Yeah, there was nothing illegal about large shipments of mask and cowl parts coming in from Asia.

“Tell your officers to wear masks around the bodies. The poison is an inhalant and the roses look normal but they’re not naturally occurring. Their genetic code was altered to produce the same toxins that come from numerous parasitic and toxic flowers but mostly from _Rafflesia arnoldii_ and _Nerium oleander_.” He could tell Gordon understood absolutely nothing but he continued anyway. “One is found in Indonesia and the other is cultivated in many places but mostly Southwest Asia. Start looking at anyone who recently traveled there.” 

“None of us have a degree in botany exactly but I’ll make sure t-” Gordon didn’t bother finishing his statement, realizing he was speaking to himself yet again. “I hate it when he does that.” He whispered to himself before returning to the precinct. 

Bruce found himself distracted as he raced through the streets. He really didn’t want to think that somehow, Wayne Enterprise was compromised again. Mr. Fox was aware of every little action that took place so it had to have been something else. 

He was quiet when he arrived at the penthouse and off as it may be, Alfred noticed the change in his usual demeanor. This silence was different.

“Penny for your thoughts Master Wayne?” Alfred stepped behind Bruce as he looked at the city beneath him, hoping he would receive an answer instead of the usual brooding in front of the windows.

“I don’t know anymore Alfred.” That wasn’t the response Alfred expected to hear but it was perhaps more heartbreaking. The young man hasn’t sounded this much in despair since, well, since he lost everything.

“Perhaps I can help alleviate you from your mind sir.” This time, Alfred was much closer to Bruce and the hint in his voice made Bruce shift uneasily before heading to his bed and sitting on it. He leaned down and placed his head between his hands.

“Gordon said I’m a target.”

“A target sir?” Alfred pulled up a chair and sat in front of him.

“The new string of murders. I’m on the list of eventual targets. And I can’t help but think that it must have to do with Wayne Enterprise.”

“You do not trust Lucius in his dealings?”

“Never! I trust him with my life Alfred.” Bruce was quiet for a few moments before opening his mouth and shutting it again. Alfred noticed his reluctance to say whatever it was he wanted to say and he was surprisingly more offended than the many other times Bruce intentionally insulted him.

“Master Wayne, I pride myself in caring for you ever since I heard your cries echo through the hallways of Wayne Manor. I trust that this would be enough for you to speak freely to me.” 

Bruce hated the way Alfred noticed the smallest details around him. 

“You’ll be honest with me when you see I’m doing something wrong.” It was a moment of vulnerability from Bruce, one Alfred hadn’t seen in a long time. Normally, he would sarcastically respond to him but Alfred sensed it wouldn’t do him any good.

“Of course sir.” 

A few moments of silence passed the two of them before Alfred felt the need to interrupt Bruce’s thoughts.

“However, I highly doubt my words will change your mind when it is set. Although, it might do you good to listen to what I have to say about young Ms. Y/N, I do believe-”

“Not this again,” Bruce sighed and couldn’t help but smile when he turned to the old man and saw him laugh at his reaction. Good. It was a short-lived moment but it helped him nonetheless. 

“I must say I wouldn’t mind it if you were to-”

“Good night Alfred.” Bruce rolled under his covers to avoid where this conversation was heading. 

“But it is earlier than your bedtime?” Alfred loved getting on his very last nerve and didn’t budge until he knew for sure that Bruce wasn’t as worried as earlier.

“It’s one in the morning!” Bruce half-yelled from under the covers, hoping by some miracle that Alfred would leave.

“Hence my remark on your bedtime sir. However, you do have an important meeting tomorrow.” Alfred stood to leave when he heard shuffling from under the covers.

“What meeting?”

“Lucius asked to sit down with Ms. Y/N and yourself to discuss some goals and plans before the young miss gets to work. I do believe that is one meeting you will attend with much enthusiasm sir.” Alfred immediately headed out of the room and made his way downstairs before Bruce could defend himself. 

But truth be told, Bruce couldn’t have come up with anything to defend himself. He was guilty as charged. The only thing that took his mind off of you for a few hours was the surprising news he heard both from Fox and Gordon. For the first time in a while, Bruce wished he wasn’t so busy with his other job just so he could spend more time around you. But that’s the weird thing though, he didn’t care if he was around you or not. He just wanted to spend more time thinking about you. The way you walked, the snarky attitude you gave him when you didn’t like something. And my god the defensive spirit that took over when you felt nervous. It all enamored him. And he did notice it, the nervousness. It was his job to read body language and he felt proud that you gawked at him hours ago not fifty feet away from where he was now laying. To think simple attire would get you to finally look his way. 

If only he could wear that on his daily outings around you. Perhaps one day he would, but he didn’t think it would be any time soon. He was raised as a gentleman. To some extent at least. He would never admit to anyone how much it sort of turned him on knowing how much younger you were. Not only was it inappropriate to think this way about one of his employees but it was also incredibly stupid. He could never put you in such a position.

No stop, don’t think about any positions. Don’t think about her in any position.

Bruce groaned before slamming his head in the pillow, sighing heavily before he finally allowed himself to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, you were pacing back and forth anxiously in your new place. You didn’t like the set-up you had with him. He wasn’t just your employer anymore, he was the goddamn owner of the place where you lived. You were fully at his mercy and one wrong decision, one out-of-line remark, and you would be living in the street. But something told you that he wasn’t that kind of man. Call it intuition or your normally spot-on reading of people, but he didn’t seem like the type of man that would be so unkind.

That wasn’t the problem you were facing now. Far from it.

Your main issue could get you in serious trouble. You hadn’t stopped thinking about the man ever since you spilled coffee on him and that was going to get in the way of things. Hopefully not your job though because that could be a whole other ordeal.

So busy taking books out of the boxes, you hadn’t noticed the light shining in the sky until seconds before it was turned off.

Oh. 

How could you forget about that? How could you completely disregard the talk of this city? 

Even in New York people talked about him constantly. You sat down for a few moments to think over the life-altering decisions you made in the last twenty four hours. 

No, there was no way you’d ever run into him. 

Definitely not.

A loud siren snapped you out of your haze and you decided to stop unpacking for the day and write down a few things you wanted to discuss during the meeting tomorrow. He still didn’t have an idea of where he wanted this new project so you couldn’t possibly look at previous surveys or public records of the place so you opted to just study the current building that stood at the center of Gotham. You didn’t want to design something too similar or different from what was already an impressive structure but you could get an idea of what he preferred.

And you hated how much you really wanted to impress him with this. It would’ve been fine if it was just for the sake of the job but you knew that was a mask for why you really wanted him to be happy with your choices.

You visibly had to shake your head to focus on the task at hand because you were still, to some degree, a professional. Tomorrow needed to go well so neither of them would regret choosing you.

“God, what the hell did I get myself into?”


End file.
